Printeresting Talks of “allure” and “magic” of ‘Gay, Jewish, or Both’
Janette Chien Writes about ‘Gay, Jewish, or Both’
And was “transported into one of Thom Filicia‘s interior designs from an episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy post-makeover.”
In her review of Gay, Jewish, or Both, Janette Chien speaks about the initial delight of walking in the gallery:
When I walked into Leslie Friedman & Bernardo Margulis: Gay, Jewish, or Both exhibition at NAPOLEON gallery in Philadelphia, PA, I immediately wanted to take a seat at the dining room table. The basket of bagels were so inviting. The monogrammed napkins and glassware were decadent, the printed chair upholstery quite charming. But when I looked at Leslie Friedman, opened my mouth to ask if I could sit, she shook her head and said “no… there was an incident.” Apparently, there had been some overzealous viewers who sat down and displayed inappropriate dinner table, not to mention gallery, behavior. This, of course, only made joining the table even more appealing.
The allure of this exhibition lies in its complete transformation of the gallery environment. I felt that I had been transported into one of Thom Filicia‘s interior designs from an episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guypost-makeover. The magic of the makeover lies in the details, and in a funny way the same is true here. From the family photographs of young men and their mothers, to the Warhol inspired prints, to the rather titillating ceramic plate detailing of young naked boys “playing leap frog,” the exhibition is rife with humorous insider references that seem to simultaneously call-out and mock the stereotypes of being Gay, Jewish, and of course, Both.
NAPOLEON 